Once upon a time, there was happiness
by Lingerer
Summary: Child, let me tell you a story and a lesson - a happy beginning and a sad ending. I want you to know that there is no happy ending; for it is only a superficial dream we imagine of. Remember, for all ending is another beginning; there is truly no such thing as a "Happily Ever After," but only a start of the demise. Let me tell you a story; beautiful at first, tragic at the end...
1. Once upon a time, there was happiness

**I do not own Elsword. If I had, then I would never be stuck in a level again. Anyway-**

**-enjoy the story. **

* * *

**Once upon a time, there was happiness.**

**...**

_"Happiness, you see, it's just an illusion of Fate, a heavenly sleight of hand designed to make you believe in fairy tales. But there is no happily ever after. You'll only find happy endings in books. Some books." ~ Ellen Hopkins_

**...**

_Let me tell you a story; beautiful at first, tragic at the end..._

There once was a happy family.

The father was brave, strong, and was a reliable wall for his family. The mother was kind, sweet, beautiful; as if she was those princesses of the stories. From the lovely couple, their offspring had been born. Each with a characteristic of flaming red hair, the sibling grew tightly bonded to each other; truly, an adorable sight to behold.

They were the center of the village. Of course, the size of the village was considerably smaller than others, but it still provided them a homely place to live in. In the village, the sibling grew to both fine lad and lass. In terms of swordsmanship, no one rivalled the sister. The younger brother, too, had considerable skills despite his age. But they didn't boast their powers; no, they lived in one of the smallest house, with most of their funds out to help the village. Many glanced at the family, and wished upon to the Lady of El for their prosperity.

There once was a happy family.

From the commander of his company, the father was summoned and was ordered to go forth on a dangerous mission. Despite the opposition he had gotten from many of his colleagues, he ventured forward with a small patch of troops. It was as if the forest had gobbled him up; he quickly disappeared.

Days passed like seconds, but no news of the father was ever heard again. The mother often visited the garrison for any information of her lover, only to be hopelessly dejected even more each time. Still, she waited for her husband; just like the princess waiting for the prince.

Though, he never returned again.

As if it was reflecting her emotions, sickness ensnared her like a deadly vice. Normal coughs began to develop into flurries of violent, bloody coughs. Fever rose a degree or two each passing day. Her bright red eyes, once full of life, dulled into a hazy, lifeless color. Her skin, vigorous as it was, now had turned into a pale, sickly hue.

Finally, her very soul gave in; into the bottomless, abysmal pit of doom.

The funeral was held modestly. The older sister bawled her eyes out, while the younger brother innocently looked for his mother - without knowing the horrors of the truth. Many whom once praised them, now began to whisper rumors of curses, lies, and deceits about the family. Superstitious beings they were; now people had the complete opposite attitude against them.

Years passed. The older sister went on a venture to find her father, to find the reason for her mother's death. Carrying his very style of sword play, she ventured after the very path he took.

However, she had forgotten about her brother. Alone and confused, the younger brother lived sheltered from the thorny eyes of the villagers by his sister's two childhood friends. Though he was supported physically, even so he lacked emotional support.

Nightmare of his father's disappearance occurred.

Nightmare of his mother's death struck him every time.

Nightmare of his sister's abandonment popped often.

Nightmare of his weakness was the greatest.

Now there was the younger brother, all alone in his world.

There once was a happy family.

**...**

**...**

There once was a respected girl.

At her grand birth, she had already received the love and attention from several elements. When peers around her began their first word, she had already composed a poem which gained acknowledgement nationwide. At an age of five, she had passed the National Mage College with a straight full score. At a tender age of twelve, she had already acquired the title of Grand Magus.

But it wasn't all brains she possessed.

Her violet eyes shone brightly like a certain jewel - finely cut, indeed. Like her eyes, her hair was a vivid color of purple, shining brightly on a clear morning sun. Her petite frame only made her resemble more of a doll, not an authoritative Grand Magus.

However, she didn't rely on her beauty or her brains.

She only relied on her grandfather, who was her only family, mentor, and friend. At a young age, her parents were taken from her by the evil scythe of death. He was the only one standing for her. As the once-Grand Magus, he had taught her all his spells, runes, and skills. Due to her excellence, he was the only one whom she could talk freely to. A sight to behold - the past and the present Grand Magus with tight familial bonds.

There once was a respected girl.

Happiness didn't last too long for the girl. As a Grand Magus, she was constantly targeted by the jealous candidates who sought to kill her to gain the title. Of course, the assassins were usually dispatched by her destructive spells.

However, in one fateful day, when the girl had made a tiniest opening, the assassin struck. Thankfully, the blow wasn't aimed for the vital points, but nonetheless still left her in a comatose state. Seeing his beloved granddaughter on a white bed, the once-Grand Magus uttered a spell forbidden to speak.

In result, it had successfully switched the situation of each other.

The granddaughter soon woke up, only to find her dear grandfather in coma.

Confusing it was; she at first thought he was playing a trick on her. The girl, once realizing the situation, panicked next. It was rare for the girl to lose her mask like that - even during the assassin's attack, she never lost her cool. But now, her heart - once so damaged - begun to beat with all its might, ever to the point where she disbelieved her heart rate.

Once the heart was calmed, she began to analyze the situation. She figured he had to woken up fast - before his brain goes on an eternal coma. For her grandfather to be awakened, she needed a medicine - a special one at that. So, she practically read through the library, just to find the miraculous cure for her grandfather. Once she was done, the girl followed her action.

So she went on an adventure - without letting any of the high mages know. Heaven knows they were the bastards who committed the crime.

There, she went for days and days. She crossed deserts; ones with hot, dry winds blowing strongly at her face. She crossed swamps; where disgusting bugs and critters ambushed innocent travelers like her. Even worse, she crossed and met many high mages who wanted her head; apparently someone knew about her ordeal, and now they were about to make it more damnable.

She felt she aged more in the travel than her whole life time in her hometown.

Finally, she reached the miraculous cure; a lone mandrake plant in a small garden. She read about this place in one of her researches. For some reason, people would always call this the "Exchanging Garden." No one knew why, but the no one dared to enter the garden due to the name. But the girl, as ignorant as she was, took aside the fact for a bit and went in for the mandrake.

After a several long minutes of tugging, screaming, and sealing, the mandrake plant was finally pulled out.

With a breath of relief, the girl begun to charge mana for an instantaneous teleport back home. Whilst doing so, she decided to look around the garden for a bit - a terrible mistake she had made. But alas, fate wasn't in her side.

She saw a small ornamented ring, lying on a small table within the garden.

She then acted on the stereotypical myth based around her gender: jewelry is the best friend of women. Her hand, as if it had control over her mind, reached out to grab the accessory. Of course, when a ring is grasped, it must be worn - a common fact to be upheld. Just as the finger smoothly passed through her index finger-

-a bolt of rejective energy coursed through her veins. She screamed in shock and pain, and immediately felt her powers sapping away from her. Instinctively, she tugged the ring out of her finger and placed it on her hand, but not until it had drained everything from her.

Her face paled when the ring immediately vanished on her hand.

The proverb was retold; beauty lasts for a short time, power lasts for an eternity. The ring sapped all her powers - the awesome powers of the Grand Magus. All her years of work was made waste within a second. All the gruesome ordeals she had to go through became a work of nothing.

But for now, that wasn't her immediate concern; the ring sealed up along with her famous teleportation spell.

Her grandfather was in danger.

Now with a greater worry to deal with, the girl sped her way back home with the mandrake. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry, whilst ignoring all pains and troubles regained again from the journey back home. Cuts and bruises littered her tiny frame. Finally, when she had reached back home, she received two shocking news: one, she was replaced by a new Grand Magus. Two, her grandfather passed away during the journey back home.

All the pains and troubles now came crashing down on her. The once powerful and brilliant Grand Magus she was; now she was just an ordinary girl without anyone to turn to.

She was alone for the first time in her life.

Even more, now her opponents, making this chance unable to be escaped, began to torment her in every ways possible. She had to work as a maid just to live with the minimum necessities. She had to kiss her "Master's" shoes to get a bonus. What's more, she even had to tend to the naughty natures of her "Master." She could never - not in a million years - accept the filthy hands roaming around her body.

But what pained her was the lack of magic; she was powerless against the monsters around her.

They treated her like dirt when they knew she couldn't even lift a finger at them.

She went through toils and ordeals seemingly impossible for a girl to go through.

There she was: all alone, deserted, and weak.

There once was a respected girl.

**...**

**...**

There once was a long-lived elf.

She forgot the time of her creation; all she remembered was wispy, green fleck of memory that reminded her of the forest. Maybe that's why she was so entranced with the nature around her; she loved the forest she grew up in.

It was stereotypical for elves to be short, shy, and nature-friendly. However, unlike normal elves, she had qualities unmatched. Deriving from the forest, her luscious green orbs shone among her friends, as if it was a jewel hidden inside the patch of grass. Her hair, flowing ever so naturally, attracted all the elves with a coveting look. Her body was a masterpiece of art - many elves agreed to the statement.

But she was modest, unlike most of her calibre. She still played with the elf children, while the "supposed" high-ups decided tending for the children was ever so immature. Her marksmanship, one of the finest in her realm, was used to educate aspiring archers to become skilled with their bow.

All respected her - she was all anyone could wish for.

However, there was one thing elves were proud of: their longevity. Coupled with her beautiful features with her personality, she was close to the one superficial dream anyone could imagine: perfection.

But who could have known, her best attribute would become her greatest vice?

There once was a long-lived elf.

She loved once: it was a human archer - one with the same interest of hers. His features weren't handsome as the others, nor was he gifted with a heavenly personality; but something else attracted her. Many called this true love, she figured.

Alas, her story was not a fairy tale; it was reality. She had to endure her lover age more and more while she still remained young and attractive. In another ten years or so, she painfully watched as her lover was slowly encased in a coffin. She then understood, "Love will not last forever."

She had followers once; seeing that her marksmanship was way out of the human realm, many people asked her for advice. Some even asked for her leadership over them. Of course, being the good-natured one, she accepted and taught them.

Soon, she began to develop mutual friendship with her followers. Though they were inexperienced, but they still brought her joy and comfort by companying her. Alas, they were the same as her lover; extremely limited in their life time. One by one, her disciples left her alone once again. From then on, she began to forbid any discipleship.

Perhaps it was her longevity that brought her tragedy; her sense of time was faster than others. She couldn't enjoy memories unlike the humans - the time went by too fast.

Though she did her best, no one could come into her little world.

Her little world was too "perfect" for inferior creatures like them.

She soon encased herself in her own world, with her own time flow.

There once was a long-lived elf.

**...**

**...**

There once was a loving couple.

The lover was common, stoic, and fierce. Oppositely, the loved was beautiful, expressive, and gentle. However, a perfect match they were; as if the heavens had designed each other for them. Truly, there was no other couple as like them in the very kingdom.

Everyone wished for their blessing. The lover, being a famous captain of the renowned mercenary guild, was praised countless times from his comrades. The loved, being a charitable spirit with a good reputation, was admired by all for her relationship.

Furthermore, heavens blessed the very path they took. The mercenary guild grew more famous and powerful each passing day, with new comrades joining in. The loved's business, which was actually a charity service, had increased with more volunteers and helpers, making it an actual government-funded organization.

But what gave them true happiness was their love for each other. The lover had many flaws: he was a man of common rank, he was extremely cold, and fearsome when angered. Even the loved, though portrayed perfect by the lover, had flaws: she was clumsy, gullible, and too much of a goody-two shoes. But they embraced each other's flaws, hiding them from existence.

There once was a loving couple.

During their young age, the couple were childhood friends. However, there was another friend - maybe not even a friend - who had been at their side for a long time. Though his friendship might have been false, but his heart for the girl was real; they challenged each other for the heart of the young maiden.

But in the end, the lover won; the other man had to leave her presence.

The love's curse didn't end there, however. For long years, he silently watched them, and waited for a chance - just like a viper.

When the time was right, then he struck.

By a false accusation, the lover was held captive by the very government he sought to protect. No one heard his pleas of innocence - they were all deaf with the bribe given to them. Soon, his days of execution was set, and now he was stuck with his death drawing nearer each second.

He knew, by then, that having her was too much of a luxury. Fate wouldn't allow such miscalculation - he was made to have a tragic end.

The first three days, he refused to eat any food. He might as well die in an empty stomach than being all filled up; it just didn't feel right for him. On the fourth day, he stared into his brass locket, where a picture of the couple resided. For some reason, he felt rather calm; he wasn't afraid of death and was ready to face it with a straight face.

He heard occasional sounds coming from the floor underneath him, but he paid no mind - probably it was another soldier making a mess there.

He changed his thought, however, when he noticed the familiar crimson hair in front of the jail cells.

His fiancée stood before him with a sword - something she would have never touched in her life. But it wasn't just her. His comrades, no, his dear family - ones who have shared many memorable times with him - stood beside her. With a slash, the cell door was cut open, and all his family rushed into the cell.

Let's run away, she probably mentioned to him. He couldn't hear with all the irregular beating of his heart thumping as loudly as it could. His will of death vanished away, and a new spirit came to his heart.

He wanted to live once more.

Gripping the blade given to his hand, he bolted out the prison with all his family. Just as they were in the plains, the government had already provided troops to seek them. Apparently, fate wasn't about to give up so easily.

And neither were they.

With a war cry, the battle began. Swords clashed with swords, each with a distinctive metal ringing for every blow. Arrows flew around the battlefield, each aimed for a person or two. In the midst of the battlefield, the couple stood, in hopes of successfully escaping the chase.

The lover fended off every blows aimed for his loved. Likewise, the loved obediently followed his steps, occasionally blocking some blows aimed for her lover as well. Just then they were about to reach the forest for a successful escape, the eyes of the rival caught them in their actions.

With a mighty roar, the rival began to chase them at a blinding speed. Like a child caught in their dirty actions, the couple halted in their tracks.

Simultaneously, both looked back to face each other.

Run away, he whispered to his loved. I promise you I will survive this. The loved looked at him with troubled eyes - one filled with hesitation and worry. The lover locked eyes with the loved, and held her tight with his hands on her shoulders.

I will be fine.

The loved nodded briskly, before she obliged his will. As she disappeared in the thicket of the forest, the lover now faced his greatest rival - the one who had caused him all his miseries till now. With a blood-curdling scream, both began their attack on each other. Their blades clashed, each making sparks fly off from every blow. Their breathing was hastened to match their battle - the adrenaline in their system pumped ever so lively.

It seemingly looked like their battle was a fair match - however, it was not. With each consecutive attack, the lover was slowly overpowering his rival, while crushing his fighting spirit. Finally, with a swipe from the edge of the sword, he cleanly knocked off the blade from his rival's grip. He then poised his blade before his eyes, a ceremonial act he followed for every kill he had made. Just as he was about to raise his blade to end the rival's life-

-a stray arrow - one without a definite target - was shot in his left arm, as if fate had pulled the strings for this.

With a painful howl, the lover dropped his blade and clutched his wound. Just as he pulled the arrow off of his arm, the rival had already recovered from his fall and was charging forward with his full power. Now, without a strength to dodge or to hide, the lover now accepted another spirit of death within him. He was happy to enjoy a little part of life, especially with her presence. As he closed his eyes as an acceptance of his death, a blur of movement was made before his eyes. The lover quickly reopened his eyes, only to freeze at the scene before him.

The loved, one who had watched the battle the time, had appeared and taken the blow for him. A large gash was made in her stomach, blood spilling out everywhere near the battle.

Both warriors froze at the very scene before them - their target of love had disappeared, in the end.

The lover quickly regained from his frozen state when her body fell towards him. Sidestepping, he caught her softly in the back. Blood soaked his clothing, and even seeped into his body, but he didn't care anything from then on. From the shock, he only repeated one word: the name of his loved.

Hazily, the loved opened her eyes. Her sight now began to fade away, giving her the pain from the absence of the lover's face. She, however, heard her name called out multiple times in a soft, disbelieving tone. She knew her voice would fade away - her life was beginning to end. She had to say this quickly.

Live on, my lover.

With a smile, she now slowly began to close her eyes, for an eternal sleep she would have to follow.

The lover watched as his loved one's life ended, his widened eyes gazing at her pale face. Small drops of water fell on her serene face, though it wasn't raining. He examined himself - mostly his face - only to find out the blood stain in his hand was washed away, with a small moisture ever so present on his palms. He rubbed his eyes, only to find the small stream of liquid flowing down from his eyes. He then understood one thing.

Was he crying?

He wasn't familiar with this action at all; he was a stoic person, one without bloods and tears. Maybe her existence in his life brought some changes within him - slowly, but noticeable. He, who was the coldest person ever to walk the ground, now was a man able to convey his feelings, mostly to her.

It was the loved that brought major changes in his life - he would have never done a thing without her. And now, in the horrible turn of fate, she disappeared.

In one last attempt of love, he hugged her lifeless body - cold as the glaciers on the mountain. He screamed anguish, hoping his voice would reach the heavens for a curse of his fate. In a crazed frenzy, he turned to his rival - the very perpetrator of her death - and charged at him, a blade in his good right arm. The rival noticed the movement a little too late; his body was hacked away before he even realized it. The rival fell with a thud, but the lover wasn't satisfied.

It wasn't the rival's fault to begin with; fate was toying with them, and it was now at the end of their climax. Fate was getting bored toying with them. The lover, as he fell into unconsciousness due to loss of blood, swore vengeance upon all who had toyed with him: the deciders of fate.

Wasn't there a story like this somewhere: "...A pair of star-crossed lovers..."

Romeo and Juliet, he recalled, as his eyes slowly sought darkness.

There once was a loving couple.

**...**

**...**

There once was a flourishing kingdom.

Like a fairy tale, the kingdom was established on a floating island. The floating island was truly beautiful; as if the nature itself had blessed the land. Green vegetation covered the entire land - not a speck of desertification was shown. Wild animals frolicked around joyously, enjoying every aspect of the nature themselves.

The race flourished and prospered in the kingdom. Their lives were comfortable, stable, and luxurious - no one knew the concept of poverty. Trades with other regions went smoothly - after all, their advanced technology was coveted by all regions, with each trying their best to be on the good end of the kingdom.

Once upon a time, a single race lived in the kingdom. One queen ruled the kingdom. At one point, her name was different - she was followed by the name Esther. The queen ruled wisely and fairly - as if she was the very King Solomon herself. Her wisdom was vast as the oceans itself, and her knowledge as deep as the depth of the ocean floor.

With the adroit queen and the caring people, the kingdom ran to its advancement smoothly without a flaw.

There once was a flourishing kingdom.

In the center of the island, there was a crystal. But it wasn't an ordinary crystal; it was their power source for everything, including their lives. Every day, the crystal provided them ample amounts of energy for their kingdom to sustain. Unlimited resources formed a single, united heart for the kingdom. Everyone was satisfied with what they had; they didn't ask for more or less.

Until one day, its energy productivity began to diminish.

No one knew the reason, but the once-peaceful kingdom began to slowly deteriorate from inside out. But it wasn't the diminishing energy source that caused the fall - if the people had shared among each other, the kingdom would have sustained longer.

However, the people of the kingdom brought their fall to themselves.

With soon-to-be-limited resources, the people began to become greedy; they no longer shared, cherished, and enjoyed their property among themselves. No, they only monopolized more into their property instead, making the needy poorer and the greedy richer. In the end, the kingdom lost a valuable asset of their success: one united heart.

As if it was reflecting their corrupt heart, their energy began to fade into nothingness. Once bright with a sky-blue hue, soon the crystal began to glow with dim color of grey instead. Then the people knew they were going to run out of power soon. What a turn of events - they collaborated themselves into one dreadful idea.

They were going to take other's crystals.

The queen, who still had a pure heart, assertively opposed her people's idea. She pursued for peace, not conflict and war, present in her kingdom. Sadly, no one paid heed to her pleas - everyone was blinded with greediness.

Soon the kingdom began to aggressively gather the crystals near their vicinity. Using their technology, they began to transport all the crystals into the kingdom. It seemed as if the queen was wrong, when the kingdom lit back up with life again. Now people began to openly oppose the queen's ideas, and lusted themselves in the greed deeper and deeper. More and more crystals were brought around the kingdom, even to the point where they began to savage other cities to obtain their crystal.

The other kingdom and regions took this as a threat to their order and safety. They began sending messages after messages, asking the kingdom to stop the act. Most of the messages were sent to the queen, however, who had no power to resist the greed emanating from her people. As the conflict between her kingdom and the others deepened, she shed more tears for her people each day.

The war began as the final choice of action.

With their advanced technology, they destroyed other kingdoms with ease; within a day or two, a kingdom would fall. Soon all the kingdoms were united with one another to protect themselves from the dire army of the Floating Kingdom. However, it still proved futile to the awesome military might the Floating Kingdom possessed. The kingdoms lost left and right; soon only the Kingdom of Water and Kingdom of Knights were left standing.

Now with only two kingdoms to conquer, the Floating Kingdom devoted everything to the military powers to take down the remaining kingdoms.

They didn't, however, notice their queen's changes.

Every innocent lives lost struck her with a painful spasm. Each anguished screams haunted her endlessly, as if each of those was a parasite clinging onto her, draining her life away. Her beautiful pale skin was now in a different definition of pale - something more sickly.

She knew her life was coming to an end.

But the war would be continuous; after all, the greed of her people was insatiable. The dulled sunlight shone through her window, gathering her attention. She sat up by her bed and glanced out her tinted windows, viewing the children play without a care in the world. Those children, she thought, would someday become like their parents; greedy and guilty.

It was time she ended her hopeless people; a tear escaped from her distressed gaze.

Zeus, Hera; she called. I have a final mission for you two. Her two loyal servants, with the same heart as the queen, immediately stood by her bedside. She gasped for breath, both out of loss of her physical and emotional needs. With a strained voice, she croaked out:

Destroy the crystal.

The race, her people, didn't know what struck them. But they didn't realize their war production began to steadily decrease exponentially, till they were stuck in a dire time. Using this as the time to strike, the united army launched a full-scale attack on the Floating Kingdom. As a futile struggle, her people retreated to the capital, where it was now under a siege.

Now without the crystal, the race crumbled down. Each day were filled with numerous casualties and hectic moments. Pain and misery pervaded throughout the kingdom's atmosphere. In the end, the people gathered at the capital walls and each held up a white flag - a sign of surrender.

The war ended in a loss - to both sides.

The life of everyone in the entire continent were never the same again. With the destruction of the crystal, the limited resources were now a restriction to the commoners; only the rich had the power and life. With the destruction and loss of many lives, rehabilitation seemed like a faraway dream yet to be fulfilled.

The race slowly declined as the remaining crystal's powers subsided. Common people were the first to disappear; aristocrats feared for their fate to become alike as the commoners. The streets of the capital, once full of life and noise, died out into a dark silence. Ghost towns replaced each habitations, which was once ever so bustling with joy.

In the fifth year after the Great War, the Queen Esther slowly closed her eyes. And with her disappearance, her people followed after her trails.

With that, the ancient race slowly came to its destined end.

There once was a flourishing kingdom.

**...**

**...**

There once was a honored father and son.

The son had no one to rely but his father. At birth, the mother had fallen in extreme pain, leaving only the father to take care of him. To compensate for the maternal essences, the father had to build a custom-made incubator to help him survive. After a grueling ten months or so, the child was ready to take some solid food, not reliance on the magical power source.

With this hard entrance, thus the new guardian was born into the clan - with an unusually strong familial bond.

They lived in a colorful city. In fact, his father stood as the main defense commander of the very city he resided in. The citizens of the city called him the "White Colossus" in honor of his great defense against the dire demonic army. Even more, he had used the magical device to sustain the city - no, the kingdom itself - with a magical shield that would protect the kingdom from any threat.

Many revered the father and the title he held. As a result, his son was held in high regards; the citizens gave him the name, Prince.

But despite such admiration and respect from every angle, both humbled themselves down after the proverb: "The more the grain grows, the more its head will bow." They lived in a simple cottage, completely unbefitting of his title's worth. Yet however, their fame was spread throughout the kingdom; many came to visit the father and son. Every visitor would then receive a welcoming smile from the father, and a boyish grin from the son.

Years passed, and the young guardian was reaching the charming age of five. Following the clan tradition, the son was to receive a special stone at that certain age. In his fifth birthday, where all the elders and the leaders of the clan gathered to see the rise of the new guardian, the son received the stone. A tiny aqua stone was given, and the son tightly held the stone with his chubby fingers. The stone glowed with a vivid color of the sea, then blinded the people in the room with a sudden intense light.

The light slowly subsided, making it able to discern the result.

The result shocked everyone in the room.

This clearly showed what bond the father and son had - they both received the same weapon and armor of choice. Rare chance, one elder quoted as he left. A chance in a million years, another quoted as they took their departure. A grand celebration was held after his birthday in congratulations for his ceremony and the insane luck he had.

Or was it luck - no one ever knew; for the son himself deeply admired his father. Years passed after that event, the son still held the same attitude he held for his father: admiration and respect.

There once was a honored father and son.

No one knew how it all began. It could have been the demon invasion sighted far off the city they dwelled in. Or it could have been the mysteriously unsolved demon appearances that occurred near their city years ago. It could have been the demon invasion that happened before their kingdom. But one thing was clear when the cities began to fall one by one to dark hands.

The attack from an unknown demon force began.

Each of the demons clearly had distinction of ranks by their appearances; the lowest demons resembled more of a common beast, while the highest demons were mostly shadows. Each of the demons had a weapon to control, whether it be a common spear, or their mighty arms. However, what clearly was different was the leader of their army; the commander was a young man, his long silvery hair clearly shining among his forces. A blade pulsing with violet energy was clipped to his side.

And with that blade alone, he fell countless cities.

Each city crumbled before his force one by one, till only the capital - the very city the father resided in - was left guarded. The White Colossus himself stood at the city walls, defending each walls with his might.

Every attacks the demons made were repelled back by a single swing of his weapon. Whenever a group of demon assassins were patched, the father would be the first to know, and the first to demolish them. Homing missiles, which he designed, would never fail to take out a cluster of the demons in a destructive explosion. His weapon glowed in bright lights, raising the very earth against the demons to strike them down.

No one called him "White Colossus" for nothing.

But he didn't realize he was getting tainted each battle. His once-pure white armor was now dyed with the blood of the demons, which was said to corrupt even the most innocent child. Using the war as an excuse, the father purely invested himself in the destruction of his enemies, often ignoring his other duties. His bright, blue eyes had been tainted into a color more dark - more sinister. His friendly smile was now hidden in the hard exterior he showed.

This wasn't all fun and game; it was serious matter, which he planned to dominate over.

After all, his parents had fallen to their hands. As a child, the father had to view such grotesque act with his very eyes: the death of his parents. Until the soldiers had rescued him, he had only been trembling in the same spot, his body covered in the blood and the organs of his parents. Since then on, he vowed for revenge of his parents, and he pledged to do the same back to them.

Little did he know, fighting for revenge was their same goal.

The father darkened with spite each day, the passing time giving him more time to grow his hatred.

The son immediately recognized his father's changes. His father, who was once so interactive with him, stopped conversing with him at all. The father would miss dinner to stay a little longer in his laboratory. His merciful father now began to grow ruthless; he would execute clumsy individuals from the army without even batting an eye.

It was as if his father had disappeared.

The son tried to brighten up his father back to his original state. He attempted countless actions, ranging from cheering him up to spending more time with him. All this, however, was in vain. With his father becoming more evil each passing day, he couldn't do anything to stop the progress. That day, with another fruitless effort, the son crawled into his bed and sought for a forced sleep, small trail of tears leaking out due to frustration.

One night, that faithful night, the final attack of the demon army started. Once more, the White Colossus stood at the city walls, defending his capital with all his might. Even he knew his changes; he wasn't able to greet his son during the day with the same attitude as before. In fact, he knew he was getting colder to him as moments flew. Something was wrong with him. However, he put aside his personal mind to deal with the battle ongoing before him.

The father swung his weapon with all his strength, the blood of the demons splattering to his armor once more.

He blinked.

Then he was different; the commander from afar noticed his changes immediately, for he smirked at that instance.

With a blood-curdling war cry, he now swung his weapon behind him - to his once-allies. The weapon crashed through all of them, each coming up with a disgusting noise of the breaking bones. He thrashed through his once-soldiers, ending their lives as if he was blowing out candles.

The son awoke to the sound of the destruction of the soldiers. Screams and shouts of death filled the air, alerting the son to the point where he began to tremble. Activating his stone, he ran out of his house, ready to fight the demons. However, what faced him wasn't a demon.

It was his very father.

In an instance, before the son computed anything, he was defeated. The son lay defeated, the impact of the burst damage lingering in him by bruises, cuts, and pain. He stood right back up whilst ignoring the pain, only to face his father again. This time, however, the father didn't attack immediately, but stood and faltered - as if he was being restricted. A low, hoarse voice breezed out from his helmet.

G-get away from me... my son...

Then his hand yanked the son up into the air and promptly threw him as far as he could, before he changed back into his demonic side again. May... Denif... protect you-

His demonic side returned once more, and the rampage started again. Houses after houses, people after people, the weapon he wielded - which was bestowed to him to protect the innocent - ironically went only after the innocent people. The remaining citizens, as they ran away from this sight, cursed the father with all their hatred mustered up.

They now called him, the "Bloody Murderer."

As for the son, after being up in the air for a significant amount of time, the son landed in the middle of the ruins that the demons had swept passed through. Anyone who survived in that area didn't even bother to help the young guardian, but only proceeded to blame him for the destruction of the capital.

No one even bothered to heal him - he was slowly in his way to death. Until he was found by a certain group of travelers, his consciousness had faded away, which left him in a coma. When he had finally woken up and was asked for his name, uncertainty of his name flooded his mind.

He began to have doubts on the meaning of his name - his clan. His name, which meant protector, didn't stand for anything when he couldn't do a single thing to stop the attack. He was only a bother in defending his city. When he was asked again, he gave them a new alias, which was his signature color.

He couldn't have faith in his clan name anymore.

For he had lost honor in the name.

There once was a honored father and son.

**...**

**...**

There once was an affectionate sibling.

They lived in a secluded village, where a clan of warriors grew and raised each other. Everyone in the village lived by several groups of code - a Spartan one at that. Under the strict environment, the sibling grew up prestigiously; they were taught the highest degree of etiquette, manner, and honor.

They had no one to turn their backs to but each other. Their parents have lost their lives after a gallant defense against hordes of demons. Though they were esteemed to be proud offspring of brave warriors, their lives were still filled with toils and suffering. After all, those warriors in clan were still human at heart - greedy and foolish for their deeds only.

The brother always sacrificed himself to be the scapegoat of the pain. The kindly brother gave up his childhood to support his sister - while giving himself the bare necessities to survive. Even more, when the "supposed" warriors in his clan would harass his beautiful sister, he was the first to give them his piece of mind - a kick to their faces. Though he would later come back to her in a bloody mess, he would always be met with a worrisome cry and later an innocent smile - one without the view of the horrible world.

And he was determined to protect that smile.

The sister, without knowing the truth, always sought for her brother's help - and he would always comply to her will without a complaint. But despite this pampering done to her, she was not a spoiled brat; no, instead she tried her best to support him back. Although her work would always end up in a futile effort either due to her clumsiness or innocence, her brother would kindly understand her effort and smile back, stopping all her tears or pains she would have gotten.

There once was an affectionate sibling.

The brother had found a loved once. She wasn't a princess or one of high ranked, but she was one of the commons. Nothing was extraordinary of her. However, he still loved her with all his heart, devoting himself to her and only her. Of course, his sister was still deeply cared for, and now she even had a sisterly figure to look upon.

The sibling was beginning to become recognized. The brother, being a master of sword, was hired as a guard of the clan walls. After dispatching a group of demons, he had risen to the captain of the guards. There, he was given an unique sword by the name of Hendel Bites; it was a rare, living weapon which later became the brother's only companion.

The elders finally found the hidden potential within the sister. Her daily interaction and attraction of spirits are the very gift the Lady had granted her, they explained. She soon found herself as a medium of the clan, who was used to communicate with the gods. Together with her excellence of the lance, she was portrayed as an idol in the clan.

All their efforts had finally borne fruitful harvest; everything seemed to go well for once in their lives.

Then fate struck the blow.

Jealous men, who envied after his position and success, made effort to overthrow him of his glory. After retrieving countless wounded soldiers, however, they realized direct physical conflict wouldn't work. They needed an alternative way to completely destroy his spirit - his will of hope. Cowardly bastards they were; they struck when the brother was out for a patrol.

They murdered his loved.

When the brother had come back, all that welcomed him was the corpse of his loved - his will of hope. Collapsing his knees to the wooden floor, the brother shed tears of anguish. He didn't, however, realize the fatal change his heart was accepting; darkness began to shroud his heart. Anguish began to turn into something more dire: vengeance. For long years, he had finally achieved some happiness, but only to be taken before his eyes within a day.

He won't accept this; no, he will get what he want. In the thicket of the darkness, a faint whisper wafted out:

Do you want revenge?

Tears and anger clouding his heart, the only thing he did was to nod.

The brother became missing after that point. With the captain of the guard missing, crime and conflict began to increase within the clan walls. Even more so, murders after murders occurred in the clan. What struck questionable was that most of the guards were found murdered - yes, they were found to be the ones who committed the murder of the brother's loved. It was as if divine retribution was acting upon them.

Then it all completely stopped; everything was back to its peaceful state, except for the brother's absence.

The sister tried to look for her brother, only to fail after numerous tries. She sought after gods and spirits just to find a lead to her brother. Months passed, and still no information about her brother was found, as if he had disappeared before the face of the world.

Years passed, and the young sister grew to a fine woman. Many males sought to court her for a date everyday. Of course, she would politely decline each of them, as she knew they only looked at her with lusty eyes; they were only after her beauty. In these times, where she would become completely exasperated, were the times she would remind herself of her brother.

After all, no one was as sweet as her brother. With her brother lingering in her mind, she slowly succumbed to sleep in that particular day.

Then at night, a sudden demon invasion began. Many fell at the claws of the monsters. Each of their swipes cleanly cut through people as if they were butter, with blood and their bodily organs flying around, dying the ground with a sickening crimson hue.

The sister bravely fought as one of the warriors on the defense line. While the villagers evacuated, the sister remained behind, fending off the demons with her spear. As the moonlight brilliantly glistened off her spear each strike made, demons fell before her as a carcass. But despite her prowess of the lance, the demons began to overpower in terms of sheer number; by now, everyone had fled or fallen - even the soldiers.

She remained as the only defender of her village.

Alone, the sister knew she had no chance. Her parched throat made an attempt of a frantic gulp, and her mind hastily took account of her escape route. As she turned her back and made an attempt of running away, a sudden increase in the demonic aura stopped her in her tracks. Her head turned back immediately, only to see a glimpse of silver and violet.

Everything went black from then on.

An attack sprung from the darkness and struck her ground, destroying it without a trace. The ground opened up and swallowed her into the darkness. She fell to an unknown basement ground, whilst hitting her head hard to the ground. Her vision blurry, her head pulsing with migraine, she remained semi-conscious as she was sprawled to the cold stone floor.

A creaking noise came from the direction before her, and a hidden door - one that was cleverly disguised as a wall - opened. From the opening, a purple blade emerged from the darkness. The glimpse of silver and violet appeared once more, this time bigger than before. The colors soon took form of a human shape, and it stood before her.

The pain in her head began to lessen, and her vision was coming back to her. The blurry view disappeared, and a clear image was shown to her.

Though he looked different, she knew it was her brother.

B-brother...? Brother... Aren...? The migraine came back again, forcing her to clutch her head in pain. While doing so, she accidentally knocked the alter behind her, the carefully placed rocks crumbling down like sand. Something fell with a clang to the stone floor, but she paid no mind to it.

The figure front of her smirked. Aren... That's a name I haven't heard in a while... How nostalgic... The brother mused. But now... I shall be called Ran... the general of the demons...

Though her head was still hurting, she still comprehended the information. Her brother, once the Defense Captain, now had corrupted down into the main enemy force, the main antagonist.

Her sweet, kindly brother was gone.

Her body began to tremble, in both fear and sorrow. Tears slowly leaked out of her eyes, leaving a trail down to her soiled face. N-no... n-n-no...

Seems like I wasted my time here... Aren - no, Ran - sighed. He unlatched his blade from his side, and poised it; he was ready to strike. His blade - which was once pulsing with light and fire energy - was now filled with corrupt, darkened energy. I shall take your life now, as you are the only living soul in this place...

Then he swung his blade.

In an impulse, she grabbed the nearest thing next to her to protect herself, which was only an ornamented hairpin. Red and white strings were tied to the accessory, but it was cut off by the sheer aura her brother had released. As she braced for impact and death to come soon-

-a bright light burst forth from the hairpin, blinding both of them. After the light, a hurricane of wind gusted over them, pushing both of them away from each other. An airy aura surrounded her, and her migraine was lifted as if it never happened. In the midst of the confusion, a single clear voice rung out in her head.

Rest for a bit, young one.

Then everything went black once more.

When she awoke, she was first greeted by a bloody spear in her hand. Upon inspection, she wasn't at the underground basement anymore; she was in the market square of her town, blood covering every inch of the place. Corpse of both humans and demons littered the place, their organs and bodily parts strewn over everywhere. Her clothes, which was symbolizing innocence, was dyed by the deep crimson blood. However, even before taking notice of her environment, she sensed one thing.

Her brother was gone once more.

The voice in her head spoke once more. After conversing with the divine spirit - Silver was her name - for a little while, she came to the conclusion: Either I turn him back, or I'll have to end him. Or... Silver spoke again. You'll be the one being ended...

Thus, a soul contract was made between them. In exchange of her future freedom, Silver was to assist her in the search of her brother. The deal was to be sealed by wearing the hairpin onto her body. After placing the pin into her hair, she slumped down to the ground, exhausted of the sorrow and exasperation. Her eyes slowly closed, her consciousness running off to the abyss.

Here her quest began, without giving her a chance to voice her opinion.

After all, fate paid no mind to an individual - or to all people.

There once was an affectionate sibling.

**...**

**...**

There once was a brave warrior.

She only feared two things: her father and spiders. Other than those two, the warrior bravely stepped out everything in her path.

At a young age, she had mastered her father's brilliant and creative swordsmanship. Furthermore, she had enhanced some of his style to a unique fighting style of hers. From the eyes of the people, she was the prodigy - the supreme genius - that appeared in a scarce chance. When gripped in her small hands, the sword would seem like it is alive - moving ever so vigorously, seeking out the vital point of her opponent as if it can sense it.

In her small village, no one could defeat her in a fair match; only her younger brother, whom she had taught, caught up with her sometimes. Her two childhood friends weren't a match; yet they were son and daughter of famous knights.

Given the power, she had authority - she didn't abuse it though. Within her hard exterior, she was a kind, benevolent leader. Whenever her brother would collapse at the end of the day due to exhaustion from the training, she would secretly tuck him inside her comfy bed, and she would sleep on the chair in the living room.

All was well, until the tragedy struck.

Her father had gone missing in a terrible outcome of the expedition. Following this, her mother soon shortly fell, her life disappearing just like her father. No one was as grieved as her. Though she may have been a warrior in body, she was still a child in heart.

Years passed, and the girl grew to a fine knight. She herself led a battalion of troops behind her, at an excellent age of 10. She had the title "Red-haired Prodigy" around her company. Many people recognized her, and paid their respect towards her.

But it wasn't enough.

Though she may have had all things men wanted - fame and glory - but she didn't have what she wanted.

All she wanted, in the end, was a happy family.

So, as a first action, she decided to look for her father - and maybe continue off his expedition. She asked for a permission for expedition, along with several skilled men. The company gladly accepted, seeing that the prodigy will deal with the long unsolved problem herself.

There once was a brave warrior.

The expedition led to the route where demon gates were often spotted. Even more, monster occurrence in that area was higher than most of the regions. So she, being the tactically bright one, ordered all her troops to gear up for an occasional battle. She recommended heavy armor to block the heavy blows of the demons.

How could she have been totally wrong - fate wasn't just on her side.

In the first battle with the demons, one lone demon general decimated half of her company. Apparently, her troops were too slow to avoid the demon's attack. Through this battle, the company's morale dropped dirt low; some ran away, some rebelled, and some just gave up.

But she continued on, venturing to find her father. To provide encouragement, she advanced further than others, slew monsters more than others, and kept guard more than others. Though her body was the weakest of the company, her courage was one of the highest calibre.

All her efforts were made futile, however, when the demons struck again - this time with a full army.

Both sides burned down like moths before fire. In the end, she only survived with corpses scattered around her. She sat at the corpse of her enemies, trying to calm her adrenaline rush from the battle. Her mind wanted to accept the incident like any other battles she faced. But this time, her bloodied hand showed something else.

She was shaking.

Followed by her hand, soon her whole body began to tremble. Her comrade, composed of elite soldiers, were decimated to nothing within a week. They weren't just elite soldiers; they had survived countless times before the gates of Hades. If such soldiers had lost, then how, will a girl survive on herself?

Her courage, one with such pride, began to cower down.

The cruel world, the fate, had crushed her determination.

So she, in the final trembling decision by herself, went back to the nearest town.

She had given up in the painful hand of fate.

There once was a brave warrior.

_...So did you enjoy the story?_

**...**

**Once upon a time, there was happiness.**

* * *

**Author's notes: Finally a story in the Elsword Archive! I was planning for Maximum Transformation (view my profile for more information), but I needed more information of the job classes. Also, I was planning to make them in different genres, so it was a challenge for me. **

**For those who had followed me in the Pokémon Archive, I am deeply sorry. If you had checked my profile, I had said that I was going to rewrite all the stories. Sorry for making all of you wait patiently. However, thank you for all the encouragement I have received. I will begin writing again when Black and White arc is completed (I seemed to have lost my "mojo" as you call it). If I can, then I would continue the Red drabbles along with some drabble working on the Elsword archive. This may help me write faster. **

**A special acknowledgement to Desuchi (****Sorry for being so late, Desu... QAQ)**, who had first invited me to the guild, Fanfiction. Also, thank you all for the warm welcomes I've received. You all treat me better than my family (no, I'm not kidding).

**Meh, I know it is ominous to write a tragedy genre as a first story, but I like tragedy. /shot. And what is with the Tragedy story flooding when I thought of creating one. Meeeeeeeeeeeeeh. I'm sort of perfectionist, so it takes a long time for me to become satisfied. Still, I find many mistakes in this story. I'm going to have to fix it.**

**I am deciding this to be the main canon background for the following stories which I may write. I've done my research, so hush. Grand Chase would be the 3 years Elesis went off. She left when she was about ten (I am basing this on the Korean and NA background stories for Elsword and Grand Chase), so Elsword would have been 7 at those times. I have more explanations, but I will show most of them in MT (Maximum Transformation).**

**The story is written in the base of something desirable (such as respect, love, bravery, and other stuff) by many people. I am showing an alteration of the wants, and making it tragic. Yeah, I am sadistic in some parts. Also, I studied ancient English and whatnot (I could have actually written in that format, but I found it too hassling), so I put tons of symbolism and other things in there. Try to find and understand it.**

**But I would say Rena's longevity (shown in ElType 1) sucks. Because her time was longer than others, so her sense - or interpretation - of time is faster than others. For example, if a guy continued living some 10 years, that would be interpreted as a long period for him. But for Rena, who had lived for almost an eternity, 10 years are nothing. It passes by her like a second (If you wish to know more about this, PM me). So yeah, longevity actually sucks****.**

**And if I get something wrong in the main plot, it's because I didn't finish the game yet (my max level is 47, QAQ). I try to keep up with the accuracy of the story by reading various FF in here, especially the "The Breathless World" by ShiraCirca. I also look for various Elsword data, such as the KR and the NA version. I also check up on Grand Chase, seeing that it is Elesis's personal story. So if any of you see inaccuracy of my story compared to the game, alert me please. I will give you cookies.**

**I'm also planning to write about Add (the new playable character, in case you guys didn't hear about it) once his information is released. **

**As for other stories... Maximum Transformation will come out, I promise! I already got Rune Slayer, Reckless Fist, Code: Battle Seraph, and some more. Just wait patiently as I am a man of laziness with a lack of creativity. Also, it doesn't help that my family teams up against me to stop me from playing/writing Elsword. B****leh, I know. This, however, will be delayed until I am allowed some freedom.**

**Oh yeah, I really can't play Elsword anymore (seeing my parents are Asian and my brothers are practically dicks), so I really won't have information I need to write my story. Please do provide me information (preferably new) if you can. Please. Or, please tell me how to bypass Xtrap, as Linux practially shets on Xtrap (thus inability to play in Linux). **

**P.S. Whoa long author's note.**

**Bye. **


	2. There once was an innocent boy

**Hello guys. This is Lingerer. Hectic days are still ongoing for me. Sorry for the excuse, and I wasn't able to update OWTTAF. I am deeply sorry (although there was only one reviewer). **

**Anyway, like I have said, I will be writing about Add's background story. Yep, his last name is not Kim. Yep, he isn't some stalker (well, maybe he is). Yep, he isn't a complete psycho. His attitude is somewhat similar to Silver (in Pokémon Games/Pokéspe) and N (Death Note). **

**Well, anyway, please enjoy. **

* * *

**Once upon a time, there was happiness.**

**...  
**

_"Every life has a measure of sorrow, and sometimes this is what awakens us." ~ Steven Tyler_

**...**

_Then, I shall continue on, with the story of a boy..._

There once was an innocent boy.

He knew nothing of the world. He believed that fairy tales were real; that princesses existed somewhere, that mythical spirits and creatures lurked around the lands of the unknown, that adventure was awaiting for him, and that his life would be as fulfilling as a fairy tale.

And for a while, it was. He had loving parents, caring town folks, and bunch of childhood friends. Nothing was ever monotonous in the village. Each passing day filled his time with exciting moments of adventure, joyous laughter, and a calm, serene night to tuck them into sleep for a whole new day.

There was no worrisome factors in his village; they were already taken care of. The village was supported by the Grand Magus, who visited the children daily for a lesson on a spell or two. The boy was constantly complimented by the Grand Magus for his excellence in spells.

It wasn't a surprise; ultimately, the Savior of Wisdom had blessed the boy through and through.

At his age, no one could match up to his prowess in intelligence. He had already read ancient texts the elders of the village lived to decipher. He had created machines from the natural resources granted to him, and they were more efficient than those the mechanics in his village had created altogether. But despite such envy-incurring talents, no one actually felt such emotion to the child.

Instead, they humbly respected the young genius and hoped that he would become the hero of his village someday.

Yet again, the child knew no such thing; he was clean in his heart.

There once was an innocent boy.

The Great War had started. Countless lives were lost all around the region, and the armies of the Floating Kingdom had gathered the precious jewel - one that was the base of life itself - for themselves. Soon, the region lost its life; nature lost its luster, darkness took over, and no one had the original vitality they once had.

His village - one which studied the basis of life - was greatly inflicted with troubles. The Grand Magus, who deliberately researched such behind his powers, was found and caught guilty of researching the ultimate truth. He was soon imprisoned into a dungeon, where he was denied of his awesome powers. There he was to rot and die away, like any other prisoners.

Without the Grand Magus's constant support, the village slowly began to wither away. Promising engineers, those who had fed the village, began to leave one by one, each causing great despair amongst the villagers. They only held for so long, due to the minuscule hope they gripped upon.

Finally, the Great War had ended with the defeat of the Floating Kingdom. The race, one they were researching about, withered away like a flower in autumn - dried away from life. With their target of research disappearing, the village lost all hope, and waited for their eventual end. They all hoped their end to be peaceful, at least.

And their fate says otherwise.

Without the Grand Magus's protection behind the research, the village was found guilty of the same sins the Grand Magus had committed. The Council of Magus, those who faulted him over the same reasons, now began to openly attack the village. They sent bounties after bounties on each villagers, hoping that the hunters would collect their heads for their greed. They even blocked their food source, giving the village even more limit to their limited life. Because heaven knows; the truth to life, and to everything must never be found.

But the worst of all, is that the ministers needed a scapegoat for the cause of the Great War - one that would help restore the peace to the world, and to the sense of peace it might grant.

For the greater good.

Of course, what best scapegoat would it be, for the very village that had researched about the Floating Kingdom and their race?

One day, after the boy had been sent to sleep without food for the third day, the attack had begun.

The Ministra Magus decided to help the attacks personally. Magus after magus rushed in, their fiery runes threateningly hovering over the village. Bounty hunters, using this time as an opportunity to satisfy their greed, sneaked into the village to murder. Knights from their ruling kingdom also came to kill their people, all in the name of justice.

The boy watched with his eyes wide open, as his parents, town folks, and friends become brutally murdered before him. As he attempted to make his escape, he was caught by the imperial knights. He had no strength to escape anyway; hunger filled him, and all hope drained away from him.

However, he wasn't given the same fate as his village; he was sold into slavery by the nobles of the kingdom, those who valued his intellectual mind. Due to his intellect, he was caged like a bird and was only given the bare minimum needs of survival - one piece of hard bread, one cup of muddy water, and heavy amounts of work to cause forgetfulness of hunger and thirst, each day.

What more - his intellect brought jealousy among fellow slaves. Whenever his master didn't give attention to the boy, they would gang upon him; each day was filled with bruises, cuts, and ever-so-throbbing pain. Yet he would live - or forced to live - because of his intellect.

The heavens, what they intended to give as blessing, had given him handsome looks, which only made him like a trophy - something to be viewed upon. With his silky dark locks of hair, unusual amethyst eyes, and a petite figure, he was constantly viewed by the nobles like an ornament, and was sought between nobles as a collection.

Finally, when he thought enough was enough, the boy made his escape in midnight, when all the nobles would get their royal laziness to sleep.

He was soon alerted and found by the nobles, and thus the chase had begun. However, while his intellect served as a guide for his escape, his frail body - one which was constantly battered over the years - served as a flaw in his escape. He trudged on to his escape route, but the nobles had already blocked the route with a heavy barricade. As he frightfully looked for another method of escape, his master had already approached him with a hidden dagger.

His master had intended to blind the boy, so that he may remove his greatest factor of escape.

Unknowingly, the boy instead prostrated before him, so that he may be forgiven and would be given another chance of escape. His master, having already unsheathed the dagger, lifted the boy's face. With a evil smirk, he pulled his face closer to him and stabbed his left eye.

All within seconds, the boy lost his sight in his left eye. Then came the unbearable pain, the pain which burned his left eye socket with a throbbing sensation, the pain which travelled around from the brain to the nerves - then back again, the pain which pulsed around his left eye - the epicenter of the pain.

As blood freely travelled down his left eye, he screamed in pain as he writhed around in the ground, the bloody mud spoiling his ragged clothes. Tears openly streamed down, mixing with the blood to create a small river of blood beneath him. He cried, howled, screamed, flailing around the floor as if he was maddened.

With all the focus in his left eye, he didn't notice his master going for his other eye.

With all the focus aiming for his right eye, his master didn't notice the teleportation rune hovering over him.

In a flash, his master's head flew off from the body, blood spraying all over like a fountain. Before anyone took notice of the noble's death, their death shortly came after, their heads equally cut off from their body. Their headless bodies crumpled down to the dirt floor, where blood created seas. The only survivor was the boy, who had already lost consciousness from the unbearable pain he was given. The mysterious stranger, who killed off the chasers, slung the boy over his shoulders, and teleported away once more.

The boy woke up, only to find himself in a library.

He looked around, only to realize that half of his sight was gone. The pain resided in the left eye, causing waves of pain as he looked. As he realized that his state wasn't a dream or a hallucination, the boy quickly regained himself upright to make an escape once more, having developed the thought that he was caught by the nobles. His remaining eye frantically searched around for an exit, only to find someone standing right behind him.

The only features he could analyze from the man was his peculiar mask, and familiar golden orbs that vibrantly inspected the boy.

With a low, airy voice, he whispered out: do you wish to see with both eyes once more?

The boy, clutching his throbbing left eye, answered: yes.

And suddenly he did. He blinked with both eyes once more. Distracted by the regained vision, he failed to notice that the stranger's right eye vanished, leaving its socket empty. But then again, he was still a child - an individual who must care only for himself.

You are now free, the stranger stated. Now, in this library I have created, you must find the truth. The truth of life and everything else. With your intellect, I trust that you can fulfil the job. And now, good luck. With his objective completed, the masked stranger disappeared, leaving the child all by himself.

The long solitude then began.

Year 1, Day 1. The boy decided to search around the library for anything, if possible. The basement held a large amount of supplies, almost to the point where it felt infinite. As if it was prepared for him, the supplies were neatly organized according to the categories. All remaining floors were filled with bookcases occupied by thick, heavy books. After searching around the library, he fell asleep on the wooden floors of the library.

Year 1, Day 2. The boy decided to start on a particularly lengthy book, its thickness almost rivalling that of the book case. Even more, the font in the book was as small as the punctuation mark; he had to discern the book by black being the letters, white being the papers.

Year 1, Day 30. He finally finished the book. His bloodshot eyes frantically looked around for a spot to rest on, only to immediately close for a slumber. Later in the same day, he woke up to find himself sleeping on piles of books.

Year 2, Day 6. He stumbled upon corpses while looking for books. Though it wasn't his first time viewing dead bodies, he found himself still sickened. Holding off the nauseating feeling in his stomach, he quickly ran off as far as he could. In the end, however, he spent in whole afternoon vomiting in the restroom.

Year 4, Day 86. He continued reading from the bookcase. He had just finished his tenth book, and his brain felt like bursting out from his head. His eyelids felt as heavy as leads, and his whole body felt asleep. Without another movement, he immediately fell asleep, using the books as the pillow, cover, and bed.

Year 20, Day 4. He finally finished one part of the library. Yes, he was quite tired after finishing the last book of the part of the library, but he was used to this lifestyle now: wake up, read, sleep. Judging by how the atmosphere of the air dampened, he assumed it was dawn, and got ready to sleep.

Year 43, Day 35. After finishing the first floor of the library, knowledge streamed inside his head like a big, open river. What he felt sickened long ago, no longer did. Now this time, however, corpses actually intrigued him. With all the knowledge he accumulated, he created something from the corpses he found long time ago. After all, he was an engineer to the core.

Year 64, Day 119. He felt accomplished in a long while. He read through the first floor twice and the second floor once. The device he had created, one which required extreme brainpower to handle, had now multiplied to six. He could generate enough electricity to power up the library if he pleased. Slowly, unaware by him, his mouth formed into a smirk.

He lost track of the years spent. After all, he never aged in that library, nor did he saw any changes to the library itself. It was as if time had completely stopped in the library. But then again, he already assumed such theory, and saw it being quite logical. Besides, it would have been too bothersome for changes, he thought.

However, he didn't notice the critical change within him.

With all the years, his demeanor began to change. His left eye, one which wasn't his, slightly twitched with a residing irritation. But that irritation, a symptom which indicated him of his tragedy, only motivated him to grin - wider and wider - leaving him in an extreme ecstasy. A wide grin crept into his features once more; now he was just used to this residing smirk he had. He even laughed to himself once, only just to hear some voice. It was close to cackling, but he paid no mind to it.

But then, why was he here again? He guessed some time had passed now; he wasn't even sure of the years he had spent in this library. He was sure, that he must have had some kind of a determination or a goal for his entrance to the library; now, he couldn't even remember what it was. Instinctively out of irritation, he grabbed a book to read.

The book he gripped caught his eyes.

"- the secret to life - " He blinked. " - revenge - " Once more, he blinked. " - and, enjoyment..."

A wide grin slowly crept up once more.

He decided what he would do. Fate denied him. Now it was his turn to deny fate. With his power, he would make anything possible. But then, he needed a piece - the piece of completion.

The boy - no, now a monster he declared - stretched his arm to the empty space. The dynamos instantly reacted to his immense brainpower, and began charging massive amounts of electricity. The brainpower caused a strand of purple to stripe down his left eye to his chin, leaving a sickening purple pulse off it. As the charge strengthened, he smirked.

Revenge was best served when waited for a long time. Oh, how he would savor his moments of triumph.

There once was an innocent boy.

_Remember, all lives are just tales; ones that are to be toiled around..._

**...**

**Once upon a time, there was happiness.**

* * *

**Author's Notes: Welp. I guess I'm back again. Sorry for the lack of activities. School is a pain in the neck, and teachers are the pin causing the pain. Otherwise, I'm pretty cool with school. I bet I can self-teach myself (which I actually plan to do for Calculus, AP History, and other AP stuffs). **

**Yep, stressful days. Stressful days. Laptop is finally back to normal, but it sadly isn't what is used to be. With all these delays and all, I can't arena as well as I did in the past. Also, with all the spammers/runners/laggers running all around the Arena, I can't even. Sooo... I quit it right after I got my S rank. **

**Anyway, family are still dicks. I swear to the most holiest thing in Earth, I will live in my car as soon as I get it. Suicidal thoughts are great, just saying. They are _really _great. By the way, I asked my good friend, Luke, to train my account. So yeah, if you ever met "me" in other places that doesn't recognize you awesome people, that would have been Luke. But now I'm back. **

**Back to the story, Add is a great character. I meant attitude-wise. Extremely interesting, I would say. He's like a mix of Silver and N, both which origins were stated before up there. By the way, his play style is like a mix of Chung, Raven, Eve, and Ara. He got the damage of Chung, combos of Raven, mobility of Eve, and simplicity of Ara. Yep, I think I'm pretty screwed by the time Add rapes the server (although I'll definitely make Add since he intrigues me so much).**

**In his story, I followed KR and NA once more. KR involves Add in slavery. Btw, you all should be able to tell who the Grand Magus was (obviously not Aisha, as she isn't even in Add's timeline) and the stranger (although that was practically a give-away). ****Follow the story from Elwiki (I actually contributed translating that). Btw, if anyone has questions, feel free to ask me. This is a theory based on facts, and it is quite sensible to me. ****Don't be hating on my theory. **

**Btw. Add's background is complex as hell. Since it's a process of Add slowly turning mad, it's a long process of solitude and things. He didn't get crazy in an instant. I mean, he was probably around 6 when he was captured, enslaved till 10, then paused growing in the library for long 300 ~ 600 years (since his village was researching Nasods, it's given that they lived in the same era). The remaining 6 years (for his beginning) were spent in the actions listed in Elwiki. Again, this is a theory based on facts. ****  
**

**And that would be all.**

**P.S. Thanks for all the reviews, by the way. Reviews are the only thing that motivates me to write further. Thank you once again. **

**P.S.S. Btw, to know more about Silver and N, go check them. Silver (Game) is accurately portrayed by FieryFafar (although it is always romance), a FF author who is blessed with writing prowess. Silver (Manga) and N is portrayed according to their own manga. **

**Welp, bye.**


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